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In the News
SNAP recipients to get additional benefits today
Families who participate in WIC have limited food options, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "Read those little labels," Arise's Carol Gundlach tells Alabama Daily News. "And the main message is, be nice and don't hoard." Read more from Alabama Daily News.
Fact Sheet
Unemployment insurance improvements, recovery rebates will help Alabamians hurt by COVID-19 pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has caused an unprecedented increase in unemployment insurance claims nationally. And the story is the same in Alabama, where 74,056 UI claims were filed in the week ending Saturday, March 28. That’s easily a record high since 1987, the earliest year for which weekly data is available for Alabama. The number of [...]
In the News
Alabama’s one of the worst states for unemployment benefits; consequences may be devastating
In 2019, Alabama cut the maximum length of unemployment insurance benefits from 26 weeks to as few as 14. "It's really short-term thinking to not prepare for the next crisis when you have the ability to do it," Arise's Dev Wakeley tells AL.com. "We cut our ability to prepare for this just a year ago." [...]
In the News
Gun sellers, payday lenders remain open in Alabama as ‘essential business’
Payday loans in Alabama carry interest rates of up to 456% APR. "A lot of people will be harmed" financially during the COVID-19 pandemic, Arise's Dev Wakeley tells The Anniston Star. "The last thing we need is for people to exacerbate that and make money off of it." Read more in The Anniston Star.
In the News
A preventable cancer is on the rise in Alabama
Higher cervical cancer rates are a haunting example of the humanitarian toll of Alabama's failure to expand Medicaid. "When you actually talk to people about the [Affordable Care Act], it's very popular," Arise's Robyn Hyden tells The New Yorker. "But in general, people don't come into the room knowing about it. They've heard a partisan [...]
In the News
Alabama legal experts urge state to release vulnerable inmates amid COVID-19 outbreak
"When [the COVID-19 pandemic] gets into jails and prisons, it's going to kill people," Arise's Dev Wakeley tells Alabama Political Reporter. "It's absolutely impossible to follow CDC recommendations about distance." Read more from Alabama Political Reporter.
In the News
Stimulus checks may help, but not cure lasting economic ailments from pandemic
Medicaid expansion is essential to keep Alabamians healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. "No one should be afraid to get life-saving medical care because they're afraid of going bankrupt," Arise's Chris Sanders tells The Anniston Star. Read more in The Anniston Star.
In the News
A judge ordered the release of low-level prisoners because of the coronavirus. People were absolutely furious.
"We have overcrowded correctional institutions [in Alabama] and a real reluctance to address the problems that will cause during this pandemic," Arise's Dev Wakeley tells BuzzFeed News. Read more from BuzzFeed News.
Blog
Arise legislative recap: March 27, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic will strain Alabama's health care system in unprecedented ways. Arise's Jim Carnes discusses how Medicaid expansion, elimination of enrollment barriers and other policy changes would help Medicaid save lives during and after this outbreak. Read our full list of recommendations here.
Blog
Targeted releases should be part of Alabama corrections system’s response to COVID-19 pandemic
State and local governments are responding in a variety of ways to the emergent coronavirus pandemic in Alabama. But that response thus far has fallen short where incarcerated people are concerned. The Alabama Department of Corrections (DOC) has more than 27,500 people in custody right now. (For context, that’s more people than live in Anniston, [...]